Please help save Thanksgiving

EDITOR: Tis the Season … to try to wring the last dollar out of the “Holiday” Season (we can’t call it Christmas anymore), while having a complete disregard for quality family time. That is exactly what retailers such as Walmart, Target and others are doing this year, more than ever before.

Subscription Required

Thank you for reading the MtDemocrat.com digital edition. In order to continue reading this story please choose one of the following options.

Current Subscribers
If you are a current subscriber and wish to obtain access to MtDemocrat.com, please select the
Subscriber Verification option below. If you already have a login, please select "Login" at the
lower right corner of this box.

Special Introductory Offer
For a short time we will be offering a discount to those who call us in order to obtain access to
MtDemocrat.com and start your print subscription. Our customer support team will be standing by
Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm to assist you.

Call and Save! (530) 344-5000

If you are not a current subscriber and wish not to take advantage of our special introductory
offer, please select the $12 monthly option below to obtain access to MtDemocrat.com and start
your online subscription

The two retailers have moved up their Black “Friday?” openings to 8 and 9 p.m., respectively, on Thanksgiving Day. That’s correct, it is not a typo. It is not Black Friday any more. The unstoppable greed monster is taking over Thanksgiving. The concept of Christmas has become so corrupted that it is now simply a “Holiday” Season that exists for the sole purpose of extracting as much money as possible out of the pockets of the American public, and now at the expense of another great American tradition and holiday, Thanksgiving.

I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that retailers would be so willing to trample on one of the last sacred holidays. After all, Thanksgiving serves virtually no commercial purpose, other than for some additional sales of food and beverage items. Why not go ahead and sacrifice it in the interest of more profits? Now some might say that this is no big deal. If you don’t like the idea just don’t shop on Thanksgiving.

However, it is not as simple as that. Left unchecked, the actions of these corporations will have a long-term negative impact on each and every one of us. Something very wrong fundamentally occurs as a result of the implementation of these sorts of business practices, once they become commonplace with most other retailers. Imagine how disruptive it will be to the family tradition to have family members who must dash off in the early afternoon so they can make it to work in time to finish preparations for the big sale.

In addition, many family celebrations will be dissolved by the early departure of family members lured away by the prospect of saving money by being the first ones through the doors. In fact, we can be sure that there will likely be scores of people who will opt to not participate at all in a Thanksgiving celebration, instead they will be spending the entire Thanksgiving Day camped out in the line that will stretch around the buildings, just so they can save some money on some stuff that no one really needs.

This really says a lot about how hollow our country is becoming. To begin with, those in positions of corporate leadership have become so consumed with greed that they have no shame in tearing at the very fabric of a truly sacred American holiday. In addition, the fact that there will be shoppers lined up at the doors on Thanksgiving evening, rather than enjoying quiet time with their families, points to a society that is obsessed with materialism to the point of self-destruction. Make no mistake about it. What we are witnessing is the self-destruction of our American society.

For generations Thanksgiving has been a time for families to gather and give thanks for our many blessings and enjoy each other’s company, without the pressure of purchasing gifts, putting on costumes, etc. It seems we are now willing to trade that tradition for trinkets and baubles made in China. If you are one of the Thanksgiving Day shoppers you will share equally with the greedy corporate decision makers in the responsibility for the destruction of our society. Think about it, a society that has no traditions and holds nothing sacred is not a society at all. It is just a bunch of self-interested people who happen to live within the same borders. Such a country that lacks a strong social fabric will not last.